What was Vietnam?

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No one used to say, "Republic of South Vietnam", or "I'm going to South Vietnam", it was usually said as, "I'm going to Vietnam", hence the word Vietnam...when in reality we were headed for SOUTH Vietnam, Vietnam was two separate countries. North and South Vietnam were simply countries in the south eastern portion of Asia (on the continent of Eurasia).
You certainly weren't going to NORTH Vietnam. Not unless you were either an aircrewman or pilot. Those men actually fought in the skies of NORTH Vietnam. Aerial dog-fights (air combat) over South Vietnam rarely if ever happened. Nearly, if not all, of our POWs were airmen shot down over NORTH Vietnam.

many "agents" were released from planes by the truck load these affected the crops and makes people weird looking these "agents" were mainly supposed to be used for crops to depleat but people ate it and it screwed people up it is verry sad that America had to expose it to inocent people

they were very bad and there was so many desperate people. The government embarked on a mass campaign of collectivization of farms and factories. This caused an economic collapse and resulted in triple-digit inflation. Reconstruction of the war-ravaged country was slow, and serious humanitarian and economic problems confronted the communist regime. Millions of people fled the country in crudely built boats, creating an international humanitarian crisis. [30] [31] In 1978, the Vietnamese army invaded Cambodia (sparking the Cambodian-Vietnamese War) to remove from power the Khmer Rouge-who had been razing Vietnamese border villages and massacring the inhabitants, [32] installing a regime whose leaders rule until 1989. [33] This action worsened relations with China, which launched a brief incursion into northern Vietnam (the Sino-Vietnamese War) in 1979. [34] This conflict caused Vietnam to rely even more heavily on Soviet economic and military aid.

The Vietnam War caused the breakdown of many families and also a breakdown of the Vietnamese culture. Thousands upon thousands of children were orphaned during the war and ended up either in orphanages or on the streets without a home.

Located in the continent of Asia, Vietnam covers310,070 square kilometers of land and 21,140 square kilometers ofwater, making it the 66th largest nation in the world with a totalarea of 331,210 square kilometers. If you wish to visit Vietnam, it's must to apply Vietnam Visa,visa-vietnam.org

Vietnamization, an American term first used in the spring of 1969 by Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird to describe the policy, strategy, and programs adopted by the administration of Richard M. Nixon for the Vietnam War. Vietnamization entailed the progressive withdrawal of U.S. forces from South Vietnam combined with efforts to enhance the training and modernization of all South Vietnamese military forces to enable the government of South Vietnam to assume greater responsibility for the conduct of the war. The policy also encompassed U.S. support for Saigon to more vigorously pursue rural pacification and development to win the loyalty of the peasants and to strengthen its political base through village and hamlet elections, social and economic reforms, and expanded social services. Under General Creighton W. Abrams, who succeeded General William C. Westmoreland as the overall U.S. military commander in South Vietnam in June 1968, allied military strategy under Vietnamization emphasized operations to weaken the enemy's capabilities by attacking its logistical bases in South Vietnam and neighboring Cambodia and Laos. Operations such as the May 1970 American ground http://wiki.answers.com/topic/incursion into Cambodia and the January 1971 South Vietnamese incursion into Laos, Lam Son 719, were justified as means to gain additional time for Vietnamization to progress. These operations only temporarily disrupted the enemy's plans. The poor showing of Saigon's forces in Lam Son 719 cast doubt on the http://wiki.answers.com/topic/efficacy of Vietnamization, as did the heavy http://wiki.answers.com/topic/reliance of Saigon's forces on U.S. airpower to repulse North Vietnam's 1972 Easter offensive. Vietnamization was a useful facade for the withdrawal of American forces from Vietnam between 1969 and 1973. However, despite the extensive equipment the departing U.S. forces turned over to Saigon's armed forces, the latter were ill prepared after 1973 to face North Vietnamese forces in the absence of sustained, direct American military support.

Even after Vietnam war, the country is well developed and it's nowone among the well developed country in the world. There are toomany historical places and attractions to visit. Last year, I havevisited Vietnam and stunned by its natural beauty. And also,Vietnam is named for its Hospitality and friendliness. For visapurpose, I have contacted visa-vietnam.org, they are too friendlyand handover my visa within 2-3 working days.

The Vietnam War had allowed US personnel to live in the country of South Vietnam for will over a decade. During those ten years, the people of Vietnam were able to see how other people live outside of their country. Both good and bad life styles..
PHYSICALLY, the terrain of both N. & S. Vietnam, Lao's and Cambodia, has recovered from the scars of war...by the passing of time. The trees and bushes have grown back, and most of the buildings and roads have been rebuilt. War machines, for the most part have turned into re-cycled metal..
Vietnam is a communist country now, and whatever impacts are affecting it now, are simply the results of their new communist standard's of living. Most American's have little to no knowledge of those standards..
About the only impact of the Vietnam War, that is STILL VISIBLE, just happens to be the most unique and to a lot people, the most beautiful. And, those are the crater ponds or crater lakes created by more than 2 1/2 times more aerial bombs dropped than America dropped in all of WWII. The lush green vegetation consisting of bright green grass, with mixtures of flowers have grown around many of the ponds, making them look beautiful. Farmers, are reportedly cultivating plant life and fish in them. Who would have ever known, back then, that a horrible explosion, that created holes in the earth large enough to hide a full sized pick-up truck in, would 40 years later create a beautiful scenic lake or pond that produced fish and flowers.

Somewhat democratic South Vietnam was a member of the South East Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO), so by treaty, we were obligated to help defend South Vietnam. We entered the Vietnam War to help South Vietnam stop Communist North Vietnam from their attempts to unify the whole country.

There was ONLY ONE weapon the communist's feared. The B-52 Stratofortress Bomber. When the US departed the Republic of South Vietnam in March of 1973, we took those bombers with us when we left..
Knowing the B-52's where now gone. The North sent a CONVENTIONAL army south, and conquered the Republic of South Vietnam in April 1975.

It was the easiest place to have a war: it was close to Communist China, which was good for re-supply. It was a north & south country, which gave it a good excuse for fighting a war, and it was bordered by other countries, which the communists knew the US would either have to involve them in the war, or face a losing proposition if they did decided to fight one there; and NOT involve those neutral countries (which the communists involved...but KNEW the US would not (officially). And they proved correct.

There are many sights and places you can go, maybe the zoo. But one thing you should be warned about is the heat and the places aren't very clean. It is extremely unsanitary. Well, look it up on the internet, look on some tourist website.

The Vietnam War officially ended in April 1975 during the Fall of Saigon. The United States withdrew in 1973, therefore leaving the South Vietnamese Army to defend the country by themselves. North Vietnam had agreed to a cease fire in 1973, and the US had to withdraw under the agreement. By late 1973, North Vietnam broke this agreement and went on to capture most of South Vietnam. In April 1975, the government of South Vietnam resigned and the NVA took control of Saigon, before the communists took control, there was a massive helicopter evacuation of Saigon.

Many of the troops of many nations were wounded or died; north and south Vietnam reunited under communism. The reason that the US entered the war was to prevent that very thing. As the war went on, many Americans became hostile about the waste of lives and money for this war. Because there was such fervent anti war sentiment throughout the US, Vietnam veterans returning from the horror of war and risking their lives often received no respect for their efforts. Many veterans developed psychiatric, drug addiction, and alcohol abuse problems for many decades after returning from Vietnam. A very sad chapter for American servicemen. One of the results of the anti war sentiment was discontinuance of the mandatory selective service (draft), and President Ford gave amnesty to the draft dodgers from this period. Most of those who broke the law by avoiding the draft did so because they couldn't afford to attend college. In other words, the draft most affected people in the mid to lower economic group; people who could afford to go to college were exempted from the draft.

The most common request made by US commanders during the Vietnam War, was a constant request to the President for: More men. (40,000 men a month were being drafted by 1968). .
This was called the "escalation of the war."

A war against communist aggression. .
True, but what do you mean by "What was the Vietnam?" Do you mean the war? or something else? Plus south vietnam was fighting the north so they would not become communist not because of aggresion

This is a bit of a complex issue, and requires a bit of history. Prior to the Second World War, the current-day country of Vietnam was part of the French Empire, being called French Indochina (which encompassed Vietnam and parts of Laos and Cambodia). French Indochina was occupied by the Japanese during WW2. After the defeat of Japan, many Vietnamese (rightly) believed that they should have self-rule and be an independent country, as was happening to many other former colonies of the various Empires. However, France wished to remain an Imperial power, and desired the return the country to its former colonial status. As it became apparent to the Vietnamese that they were not to be granted independence, a Communist-led revolt in the northern portion of the country began. From the late 1940s to mid-1950s, these communist revolutionaries fought French forces in what is known as the First Indochina War. A peace settlement was signed in Geneva in 1954, dissolving French control, and setting up two new countries: a Communist-controlled North Vietnam, and an anti-Communist South Vietnam. The Communist North saw this partition as but a small pause in the greater revolution to establish a single, united Vietnam, rather than a permanent partition. Conflict between the two Vietnams broke out almost immediately. Escalating fighting turned into a full-fledged was starting about 1960. The conflict was wided as both the U.S. and U.S.S.R. saw Vietnam as a post-Korea test of international power and influence. Thus, increasing American and Soviet aid turned a regional civil war into an internationally-sponsored slaughter. So, to summarize: Vietnam was a French Colony, then occupied by Japan, then underwent a revolutionary war for independence, followed by a partition into Communist and anti-Communist areas, then underwent a Civil War, then became a Cold War proxy war, and finally ended as a Civil War where the North was victorious, resulting in a single Communist nation.

Vietnam is a communist country since 1975. Prior to 1975 there were two Vietnams; a NORTH and a SOUTH Vietnam. Those two nations fought from about 1955 until 1975, with the US supporting South Vietnam; which was defeated by force of arms on 30 April 1975.

Vietnam, a one-party Communist state, has one of south-east Asia'sfastest-growing economies and has set its sights on becoming adeveloped nation by 2020. IF you are willing to visit vietnam, thenget your visa from visa-vietnam.org

Some main points included: We have offered the complete withdrawal of all outside forces within 1 year. .
-We have proposed a cease-fire under international supervision. -We have offered free elections under international supervision with the Communists participating in the organization and conduct of the elections as an organized political force. And the Saigon Government has pledged to accept the result of the elections. .

Today Vietnam has electricity. In cities and even villages the Vietnamese population has access to electricity to run their fridges, televisions, air conditioners and computers. If you travel to Vietnam, look up. The electrical wires that are strung from pole to pole are a mass of black cobwebs, tangled webs of wire that are a fire-fighter's/electrician's nightmare. Blackouts are somewhat common due to hurricanes or government mandates in an effort to cut back usage in the summer. Vietnam has one of the fastest growing economies in the world and accessing electricity whether legally or illegally is not an issue for most.

France owned Vietnam until they pulled out in the 1950's, and the US stepped in. After that, Vietnam was divided like Korea into Communist North and non-Communist South, but North Vietnam never accepted the division and always considered South Vietnam as the part of Vietnam occupied by the enemy.

People interchange the word "conflict' with WWII or WWI or other wars these days; so it's acceptable to call it either. The last declared US war was WWII so any war or conflict occurring after WWII wasn't declared...if that happens to be the issue here. And besides, the American Civil War was not a declared war either.

this question makes no sence at all. why don't you try to look up how many soldiers died in Vietnam that will answer your question maybe. It makes perfect SENSE to me! The North lost about 1,000,000 Vietnamese soldiers, when you include the Viet Cong casualties. The South lost about 266,000 soldiers. America lost about 58,000 Vietnam's civilians suffered the worst. Over 2,000,000 died and people continue to die to this day due to tyhe dioxin/Agent Orange that America used to kill the plants and trees in areas that were active with Viet Cong resistance. Additionally, the unexploded ordinance (bombs) that are left over from the war continue to kill and maim innocent people. Bear in mind the fact that the vast majority of this is occurring in the south. Basically, we (America) trashed the home of our ally and then ran away when the heat got too hot, leaving them to fend for themselves. It's a blight on our nations history that can never be erased. Shame, shame...

They got the chance to fly the latest in modern jets; MiG17s, 19s, 21s for the Northerners, and A1 Skyraiders & T28 Trojans (propeller driven), plus F5 Freedom Fighter jets for the Southerners. Although probably a joke the answer above contains some truth. During the war the North was only supported militarily by the USSR, while the South was financially supported by the US government and the US service men spent a lot of money there. After Januari 1973, however, the US Congress stopped most of the financial support. After the South was conquered by the North in 1975 Vietnam became economically isolated from US support. Because of financial problems the USSR was not able to support them either. So after the war Vietnam did not benefit from the war. Like the Korean war it just was one of those great tragedies of the Cold War. Vietnam received over ten years worth of military knowledge/equipment/training and civilian related exposures such as shipping and receiving (import and export) experience)/medical/engineer/food/educational benefits from the US during the war.

Viá»t Nam is a variation of NamViá»t (Southern Viá»t ), a name that can be traced back tothe Triá»u dynasty (NanyueKingdom of Chinese in 2nd century BC). [1] The word "Viá»t" originated as ashortened form of BÃ¡ch Viá»t , a wordused to refer to a people who lived in what is now southern Chinain ancient times. The word "Viá»t Nam", with the syllables in themodern order, first appears in the 16th century in a poem by Nguyá» n Bá»nh KhiÃªm . "Annam",which originated as a Chinese name in the seventh century, was thecommon name of the country during the colonial period. Nationalistwriter Phan Bá»i ChÃ¢u revivedthe name "Vietnam" in the early 20th century. When rival communistand anti-communist governments were set up in 1945, bothimmediately adopted this as the country's official name. InEnglish, the two syllables are usually combined into one word,"Vietnam." However, "Viet Nam" was once common usage and is stillused by the United Nations andby the Vietnamese government. .
Throughout history, there were many names used to refer toVietnam. Besides official names, there are names that are usedunofficially to refer to territory of Vietnam. Vietnam was called VÄn Lang during the HÃ¹ng VÆ°Æ¡ng Dynasty, Ãu Láº¡c when AnDÆ°Æ¡ng was king, Nam Viá»t during the Triá»u Dynasty, Van Xuanduring the Anterior LÃ½ Dynasty, Äáº¡i Cá» Viá»t during the Äinh dynasty and Early LÃª dynasty . Starting in 1054, Vietnam was called Äáº¡i Viá»t (GreatViet). [2] During the Há» dynasty , Vietnam was called Äáº¡iNgu . [3]